Copyright © 2008 Charles Oscar Hetzler All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction. OUR SAVIOR AND KING: THEOLOGY PROPER IN 1 TIMOTHY A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Charles Oscar Hetzler December 2008 UMI Number: 3357130 Copyright 2008 by Hetzler, Charles Oscar All rights reserved INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI® UMI Microform: 3357130 Copyright 2009 by ProQuest LLC All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 APPROVAL SHEET OUR SAVIOR AND KING: THEOLOGY PROPER IN 1 TIMOTHY Charles Oscar Hetzler Read and Approved by If J0^ ATJ^—^ Thomas R. Schreiner (Chairperson) Date N/n/e? TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi LIST OF TABLES x PREFACE xi Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION 1 Thesis 2 History of Research 3 Introduction and Early History 3 P. Fairbairn 7 M. Dibelius 8 W. Lock 9 D. Guthrie 10 Recent, In-Depth Responses 10 The Present Contribution 17 Method 19 Procedure 21 2. GOD AS KING: MEANING AND FUNCTION 24 Introduction 24 Meaning 27 God as King 27 God as Incorruptible/Immortal 46 God as Invisible 49 in Chapter Page Conclusion 53 Function 54 The Relationship and Function of 1:3-20 and 6:2b-21 in 1 Timothy .. 55 The Function of 1 Timothy 1:17 56 The Function of 1 Timothy 6:15-16 61 Further Evidence for the Proposed Function of the Doxologies 64 Conclusion 68 3. GOD AS SAVIOR: MEANING AND FUNCTION 70 Meaning 70 Introduction 70 Savior's Range of Meaning in Antiquity 72 Savior in 1 Timothy 83 Summary 95 Function 97 The Function of Savior in 1 Timothy 1:1 97 The Function of Savior 1 Timothy 2:3 99 The Function of Savior 1 Timothy 4:10 102 Summary: The Function of Savior in 1 Timothy 108 Conclusion 115 4. OTHER INDICATIONS THAT GOD IS SAVIOR AND KING: REMAINING THEOLOGICAL THEMES IN 1 TIMOTHY 117 Introduction 117 Other Indications that God Is Savior 118 God as Father 118 Hope in God 120 The One God 122 IV Chapter Page Other Indications that God Is King 123 The Command of God 123 God's Rule over the Church 124 Other Indications that God Is Savior and King 128 The Living God 128 God as Creator 132 Theology in Relation to Christology 134 The Presence of Various Hellenistic Terms 138 Conclusion 140 5. CONCLUSION 145 Summary 145 Implications 150 BIBLIOGRAPHY 156 v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AB Anchor Bible ABD Anchor Bible Dictionary ABRL Anchor Bible Reference Library ANF Ante-Nicene Fathers ANTC Abingdon New Testament Commentaries BDAG Bauer, W., F. W. Danker, W. F. Arndt, and F. W. Gingrich. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3 ed BDF Blass, F., A. Debrunner, and R. W. Funk. A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. BECNT Baker Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament Bib Biblica BibSac Bibliotheca Sacra CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly DPL Dictionary of Paul and His Letters DSS Dead Sea Scrolls EC Epworth Commentaries ECC Eerdmans Critical Commentary EDNT Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament EKKNT Evangelisch-Katholischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament FRLANT Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments GNC Good News Commentary HNT Handbuch zum Neuen Testament HNTCS Harper's New Testament Commentary Series VI HTKNT Herders Theologischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament HTS Hamburger Theologische Studien HUT Hermeneutische Untersuchungen zur Theologie ICC International Critical Commentary JBL Journal of Biblical Literature JBLMS Journal of Biblical Literature Monograph Series JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society JSNT Journal for the Study of the New Testament JSNTSup Journal for the Study of the New Testament: Supplement Series JTS Journal of Theological Studies KEKNT Kritisch-exegetischer Kommentar iiber das Neue Testament LCL Loeb Classical Library LXX Septuagint MM J. H. Moulton and G. Milligan. The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament. MNTC Moffat New Testament Commentary MNTS McMaster New Testament Studies MT Masoretic Text NA Nestle-Aland. Novum Testamentum Graece. 27th ed. NCB New Clarendon Bible NCBC New Century Bible Commentary NEB Neue Echter Bible NICNT New International Commentary on the New Testament NIDNTT New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology NovT Novum Testamentum NovTSup Novum Testamentum Supplement Series NPNF Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers NTC New Testament Commentaries vn NTD Neue Testament Deutsch NTG New Testament Guides NTL New Testament Library NTS New Testament Studies OTP Old Testament Pseudepigrapha PE Pastoral Epistles PNTC Pillar New Testament Commentary RB Revue Biblique PR Presbyterian Review RNT Regensburger Neues Testament SB Sources Bibliques SBL Society of Biblical Literature SBLDS Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series SBLMS Society of Biblical Literature Monograph Series SNTSMS Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series SNT(SU) Studien zum Neuen Testament seiner Umwelt SP Sacra pagina TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament THNT Theologischer Handkommentar zum Neuen Testament TNTC Tyndale New Testament Commentaries TS Theological Studies TZ Theologische Zeitschrift UBS4 United Bible Societies. The Greek New Testament. 4 ed. WBC Word Biblical Commentary WP Wuppertaler Studienbibel WTJ Westminster Theological Journal WUNT Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament viii ZNW Zeitschrift fur die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der dlteren Kirche IX LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. The parallelism of 1 Timothy's doxologies 23 2. The structure of 1 Timothy 1:3-20 56 3. I. H. Marshall's display of 1 Timothy 6:2b-21 61 4. R. Van Neste's comparison of 1:3-20, 3:14-4:16, and 6:3-21 64 x PREFACE It has been a pleasure to research for and write this dissertation. Although completing a dissertation is an expectedly long and difficult process, the joy I have gained from it has outweighed any sacrifice. This joy is a testament to the richness of God's word and to the glorious God who there reveals himself to us. By his grace, I was enabled to complete and benefit from this dissertation. For this outcome, I also owe thanks to my professors in the New Testament department at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Their guidance prepared me for this work and set an example of NT scholarship to be desired. My thanks goes to Drs. Brian J. Vickers and Jonathan T. Pennington for serving on my committee and to Dr. Ray Van Neste (Union University) for being my external reader. I am especially thankful to Dr. Mark A. Seifrid for encouraging me to pursue this topic. In addition, it has been a privilege to have Dr. Thomas R. Schreiner for my supervisor. His comments and corrections have made this dissertation much better than it would have been otherwise. Finally, the support I have received from my family is incalculable. My father and mother, David and Clairice Hetzler, have consistently provided for me and supported me. I have also received much support and encouragement from my wife's parents, Gary and Cheryl Smith, for many years now. Most of all, I cannot envision completing, not to mention enjoying, this process without the presence and help of my wife and family, Karen, Nathanael, and Annalise. Nathanael and Annalise bring me joy each day. Karen's love, encouragement, xi and sacrifice have made this achievement possible. I am continually thankful for and inspired by her. Charles O. Hetzler Louisville, Kentucky December 2008 xn CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION First Timothy studies have been defined by authorial debates since the dawn of the nineteenth century.1 One of the fruits that has come from such debate has been an increased awareness of 1 Timothy's unique theology, specifically pertinent to this dissertation, its theology proper. Almost all commentators on both sides of the authorship issue recognize distinguishing theological features in 1 Timothy. However, this dissertation is not directly concerned with authorship; its focus rests on sorting out the Geological picture of 1 Timothy. Recent interpreters have tended to describe the letter's theological uniqueness either in terms of God as loving Savior (1:1; 2:3-4; 4:10) or sovereign King (1:17; 6:15- 16). Some scholars have accented the former, while others accent the latter. Still others have sought to understand these characteristics in some sort of coordinate relationship. All of this will be detailed in the following history of research. What is pertinent here is 'The first written attack against Pauline authorship came from F. Schleiermacher, Uber den sogennanten ersten Brief des Paulus an den Timotheus: Ein kritisches Senschreiben an J. C. Gass (Berlin: Realschulbuchhandlung, 1807). Schleiermacher doubted only 1 Timothy's authenticity; he did not include 2 Timothy or Titus. Since then, beginning with J. G. Eichhorn, those who argue for pseudenymity include all three letters (J. G. Eichhorn, Einleitung in das Neue Testament, vol. 3 [Leipzig: Weidmanischen Buckhandlung, 1812], but cf. the recent proposal of only accepting 2 Timothy as authentic by J. Murphy- O'Connor, "2 Timothy Contrasted with 1 Timothy and Titus," RB 98 [1991]: 403-10).